Houses and a movie

Today we decided to see two 30-year-old houses that were way below our target price. The first one had a fantastic layout but was located next to a busy street and would have needed major, major work. For example, we really want a deck off of the kitchen for barbequing and this place didn't have one, or even have patio doors for one. That reno alone would be costly, and that, together with the cost to replace all the flooring, windows, and baths, is just too much.

Still, if the house had been updated we'd have considered it.

The second house also had a great layout both on the main floor and in the basement. Unlike the first house, this one had been updated with new floors and stuff. It had a lovely kitchen and the bedrooms were a decent-enough size and everything was bright and in great shape. The yard was awesome and backs onto that forest I walked through the other day.

The house didn't have a deck but it did have steps down to a patio, so a deck could be put there. It also didn't have a master bedroom ensuite or walk-in closets, but one of the bedrooms could be converted into those. We'd like to have an ensuite but we've lived without one for so long that we'd be ok living without one for a while longer.

The tub would also need to be updated to be a nice soaker tub. The basement does have a walkout but it's not a patio door walkout - it's a door with stairs leading up to the yard, which is kind of weird. Also, there are a number of steps to get in or out of the house which isn't ideal for me - but those could be updated, in time. The house is definitely move-in ready for us with the potential to be updated down the road.

Even with all of those negatives, we actually really liked this house quite a lot and could easily see ourselves living there now and in the future. Unfortunately, our realtor is on vacation and if it's still available when she gets back we'll see it with her and get her opinion. We could see it with the fellow who's taking over for our realtor but we don't have a connection with him. If this house is sold by then, there will be other houses.

We'd thought about going other places today but the wind was really strong. And it snowed a bit (making the fact that we haven't taken off the snow tires less silly). So instead, we watched a movie: Steel Trap. The acting wasn't fantastic but the story was interesting. Basically, a group of people at a new year's party are texted to go to an invite-only party in the same building, and they end up getting hurt and killed. It ended up being suspenseful with a bit of a mystery. There was some gore but not too much - definitely less than in most of the movies we watch.

So if you like interesting, suspenseful, murder mysteries with a bit of gore and you don't mind sub-par acting, you might be interested in seeing Steel Trap.